Amorphophallus titanum

Appearance

The titan arum's inflorescence can reach over 3 metres in height. Like the related cuckoo pint and calla lily, it consists of a fragrant spadix of flowers wrapped by a spathe, which looks like a large petal. In the case of the titan arum, the spathe is a deep green on the outside and dark burgundy red on the inside, with a deeply furrowed texture. The spadix is hollow and resembles a large loaf of French bread. Near the bottom of the spadix, hidden from view inside the sheath of the spathe, the spadix bears two rings of small flowers. The upper ring bears the male flowers, the lower ring is spangled with bright red-orange carpels. The "fragrance" of the titan arum resembles rotting meat, attracting carrion-eating beetles and flesh flies that pollinate it. The inflorescence's deep red color and texture contribute to the illusion that the spathe is a piece of meat. During bloom, the tip of the spadix is approximately human body temperature, which helps the perfume volatilize; this heat is also believed to assist in the illusion that attracts carcass-eating insects.

Both male and female flowers grow in the same inflorescence. The female flowers open first, then a day or two following, the male flowers open. This usually prevents the flower from self-pollinating.

After the flower dies back, a single leaf, which reaches the size of a small tree, grows from the underground corm. The leaf grows on a somewhat green stalk that branches into three sections at the top, each containing many leaflets. The leaf structure can reach up to 6 metres tall and 5 metres across. Each year, the old leaf dies and a new one grows in its place. When the corm has stored enough energy, it becomes dormant for about four months. Then the process repeats.


The corm is the largest known, typically weighing around 50 kilograms . When a specimen at the Princess of Wales Conservatory, Kew Gardens, was repotted after its dormant period, the weight was recorded as 91 kilograms . In 2006, a corm in the Botanical Garden of Bonn, Germany was recorded at 117 kilograms , and an ''A. titanum'' grown in Gilford, New Hampshire by Dr. Louis Ricciardiello in 2010 weighed 138 kilograms . However the current record is held by a corm grown at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, weighing 153.9 kilograms after 7 years growth from an initial corm the size of an orange.

Naming

''Amorphophallus titanum'' derives its name from Ancient Greek .
The popular name ''Titan arum'' was coined by the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough for his BBC series ''The Private Life of Plants'', in which the flowering and pollination of the plant were filmed for the first time. Attenborough felt that constantly referring to the plant as ''Amorphophallus'' on a popular TV documentary would be inappropriate, because the translation of the scientific name was considered "too rude" for television audiences.

Distribution

''Amorphophallus titanum'' is native solely to western Sumatra, and western Java where it grows in openings in rainforests on limestone hills. However, the plant is cultivated by botanical gardens and private collectors around the world.